Biography

Wednesday, 24 September 2014 00:00
Web Staff

Biography

8-year-old Doug Rausch was faithful to the piano. One day as he was leaving for a lesson, his father slipped him a white unmarked envelope to hand the teacher. After arriving at her studio and following Dad’s instructions, he eagerly climbed onto the bench and tossed his book open, ready to play. The practice week had been less than perfect, but he didn’t see that holding him back in any way. Today he would learn the Key of G!

“It says you’re quitting,” she blurted out…

RAUSCH did not quit; he has been studying, writing, recording, performing and otherwise living music relentlessly ever since such an early encounter with being all but written off. His obsession led to a degree from the prestigious Ithaca College School of Music in New York, where he won recognition as concerto competition finalist with Gershwin’s Rhapsody in Blue. A diverse following began to build as his unwavering 21st Century rock n roll advocacy efforts collided headfirst with obligations to “serious music.” For the encore of an ambitious recital on the eve of his 21st birthday, his 13-piece band joined him in homage to Guns N’ Roses. November Rain took a classical music school to tears.

RAUSCH caught his first compositional accolades when Jordan Rudess, keyboard wizard of Dream Theater, contacted him to perform in a special master-class known as KEYFEST; the invitation stemmed from a college demo that made its way into Jordan’s hands. There, RAUSCH unveiled the 11-minute FLOW - a sprawling epic that unites all core musical elements of his campaign – only to reveal he was saving that for “Album #3.” Meanwhile, he was hard at work in an attempt to craft the proper debut.

All these efforts attracted a kindred musical spirit in guitarist Gary Wehrkamp, best known for his seemingly superhuman achievements in progressive rock juggernaut Shadow Gallery. As Wehrkamp’s invaluable musicianship helped put a cohesive stamp on the tracks - and Spock’s Beard / Transatlantic mix-extraordinaire Rich Mouser agreed to help deliver the baby - RAUSCH now had everything he needed to complete THE ALBUM before encountering record-setting delays à la Chinese Democracy… and at last, 2010 finally put an end to this excessively prolonged period of monogamy between Music and Creator - the long-awaited debut ALBUM of RAUSCH was born!

Time to celebrate, however, was tragically short-lived. Amidst all the strong reviews, accolades, (among them an honorable-mention International Songwriting Competition [ISC] nod for Ode to Pain) and a triumphant initial string of local live shows, a fresh onslaught of approaching impediments both personal and professional – not the least of which included the involuntary exits of 2 deeply invested live members – would by 2012 hurl the band completely back into darkness. While the depths of despair may offer endless writing inspiration, this time it came at the cost of critical forward momentum.

It was not until mid-2013 that the weakened – but ever-enduring - pulse pounded its way back to a heartbeat; and ironically, it was at first not Rausch’s piano chops – but rather his voice - that caught the attention of Grammy-nominated producer David Ivory (The Roots, Halestorm). While songs like Minimalism & fan-favorite B.P.M.S. did well to offset the densely layered debut with respites of pop sensibility, the producer now challenged RAUSCH to an outright “commercial exercise” – a piece that, not entirely unlike the very études of Chopin, could serve a vital nuts-and-bolts purpose yet simultaneously stand on its own musical merits. “You need a Keep Yourself Alive before asking the world to embrace Bohemian Rhapsody,” Ivory implored. Challenge accepted.

Stepping away from the piano to briefly pick up his guitar, Good Day came to Doug almost immediately; and in just a few short months, the finalized recording - accompanied by 1st official RAUSCH music video, deftly directed by contemporaries in NYC’s JOLLY – was ready to go. In light of this, and considering the time still needed to formally convert all aforementioned darkness into musical form (i.e. Album 2), the vote was unanimous to release the new single right away. Pleasantly surprised by an almost over-night endorsement from current GN’R guitarist Ron “Bumblefoot” Thal, apparently the band chose… wisely. Poised to reclaim the stage with a vengeance – and said new album – in 2015, RAUSCH is now more resolute than ever to indeed NOT LET IT DIE.